


I Hunt for You with Bloodied Feet Across the Hallowed Ground

by BonbonWonWon



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: 1800's England, Alternate Universe - Fae, Blood and Violence, Dubious Morality, Enemies to Lovers, Fae & Fairies, Fae Morality, Goblins, Inspired by The Labyrinth (1986), Love/Hate, M/M, Magic, Manipulation, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Seduction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:07:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22204564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BonbonWonWon/pseuds/BonbonWonWon
Summary: Harry James Potter lived on the edge of Wistman Woods in Devon, England in the 1800's with his ailing mother. He works by trade as a minor healer and ventures into the woods to gather herbs and hunt so that he can provide for his family.One day he goes too deep and stumbles upon an old Faerie Circle and is transported into a realm called the Underground, where a dark and mysterious Goblin King rules.Can he keep his wits about him and buy himself enough time to run the King's labyrinth and escape with his soul intact?Hiatus as of 4/28/20
Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle, Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort
Comments: 14
Kudos: 191





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This "chapter" really just contains some of the photos I've used for inspiration and the drawing of the "Underground" that I made. The first chapter will be up soon! I hope you'll all enjoy!
> 
> I do not own any of the artwork besides the drawing of the Labyrinth, which I made.

Inspiration sources for Harry:

Inspiration sources for Tom Riddle/The Goblin King:

This one is less his face, and more his build/dress:

The Underground&Labyrinth:

Please note that this is just for visual reference, the actual labyrinth in the story is MASSIVE (Think the monstrosity from the actual Labyrinth film)


	2. Into the Woods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! I’m always glad for comments and feedback!

_ O see ye not yon narrow road, _

_ So thick beset with thorns and briers? _

_ That is the path of righteousness, _

_ Tho after it but few enquires. _

_ And see not ye that braid braid road, _

_ That lies across that lily leven? _

_ That is the path of wickedness, _

_ Tho some call it the road to heaven. _

\-  **Excerpt from** " _ Thomas the Rhymer _ "

* * *

Harry’s steps were near silent as he crept through the underbrush, stalking his prey. He’d been patiently tracking his game for over an hour now, using his senses so that he wouldn’t send the creature skittering away into the darkness. He couldn’t afford to lose this one; it would provide enough food for at least two weeks if not more if he cured it right, and the hide would make a much needed warm blanket. He knew it was risky hunting in the woods that laid on the outskirts of their little village, but it was either this, or get ripped off at the market for what little that might be left; that is, if they would be willing to even barter with him. 

At age twenty-two, his family consisted of him and his mother; no father, no children, no wife. He and his mother had moved to the little village on the edge of Wistman’s Wood almost five years ago now, and he still hadn’t made any friends that were lasting. While others might have found his way of life odd, he felt he had a duty to his mother before anyone else. She had raised him, fed him, loved him, and now that she faced her own illness it was only right that he return the favor. He had no time to be distracted.

He caught sight of the buck finally, making sure to stay downwind of the animal, and gently, but firmly, took his bow in hand and knocked an arrow. He pulled back slowly, making sure to grip the riser tight. He drew the arrow and felt the brush of string on his jaw as he lined up his shot. He held his breath, sure to stay silent, but as he loosed the arrow a sharp snap of a branch from further in the woods startled the buck. The buck made a wild dash and what would have been a direct kill turned into his arrow burying itself into the dirt.

Harry cursed under his breath, eyes darting around as he stepped into the small clearing to gather his arrow. As he plucked the arrow up, he paused, listening for any steps that would have given away what had startled his prey, but quickly realized something was amiss. There wasn’t any footsteps or rustling of the forest floor leaves; in fact, there was no sound at all. His head whipped around as he scanned the dark woods. Whatever was out there was a predator, one that scared away the other life that had been making up the hum of white noise that was the forest.

Harry backed away slowly towards where he had left the small game he had caught earlier, keeping his eyes on the bushes and underbrush in front of him, knowing that if he took his eyes off of the forest, it would surely swallow him whole. This forest was known for its’ oddities, and the villagers whispered at night about the Fair Folk that supposedly lay in waiting for a human stupid enough to cross their path. He wasn’t sure if he necessarily believed that the Fair Folk lived in this exact forest, but his mother had raised him to believe in things that the eye couldn’t always see. 

Harry stowed away the bow on his back and slipped out two knives that he kept on his person. It wouldn’t stop the Fae, but it might give him a running head start. The forest was too dense to use his bow for anything other than hunting. He backed out of the clearing and took one last sweeping look, not seeing anything, but feeling something's - _ or someone’s _ , his mind supplied- gaze burning into his skin.

He turned and swiftly made his way out of the woods, never stopping, never slowing down, for he was sure that if he paused, even for a moment, the thing that had been watching him would gladly devour him. 

The sun beat down on his face as he broke from the tree line, the air fresh and crisp. The fall was slowly getting its teeth as winter crept up on them, but for now it was almost cleansing to be out in the open. He made his way back to the village, the little huts and homes already trailing wisps of smoke merrily from their chimneys; night would fall soon and it was better to warm the home now instead of later, when it would take twice the amount of time and wood. 

He passed through the village proper, nodding at a few people as they went about their business, but he did not stop to talk to anyone and, more importantly, no one stopped to talk to him. He felt the glances as keenly as if someone were touching him, even after all these years. He knew his moving into the village with his mother, strangers with no connections or family here, would stir the residents, but he would have thought they would have let it go by now. He hadn’t helped the issue, he supposed, by keeping his relationships and acquaintances to a minimum, but it didn’t make it any easier.

He got to the little home that was a bit rough, though it was well kept. He maintained the property himself and kept as clean of a home as he could manage. It was small, two rooms, one for the loo, and the other housing the bed, kitchen, and fireplace.

Harry kicked off his boots inside the door, making sure not to track mud, and leaving his weapons hanging on the hook he had made. He brought the three hares he had caught to the kitchen counter and placed them down to clean and cook later. He gathered some wood from the little stack they had indoors and started a fire in the small pot belly stove so that he could heat up some water for tea. Brushing his hands off on his pants, Harry stood and made his way over to the pallet bed that his mother was resting on. He checked her temperature quietly, not wanting to wake her when she was finally getting some rest, and adjusted the blankets that had shifted in her sleep. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a hand that he didn’t see coming brushed his cheek.

“James. James, I’m so glad you’re home. I missed you so. You’ve been away for so long.” His mother’s voice was barely a whisper, and her hand was cold and dry. He gathered it between his own much warmer and larger palms, sitting on the edge of her bed.

“Mum, it’s me. Harry. Your son, remember?” He wondered if she would actually remember today, or if she would continue to drift in memories of people who were long gone.

“Mm….James, keep a watch out for Harry, please. He’s been gone for most of the day. Heard some of the ladies talking earlier...saying things…...” She mumbled a little more to herself before fading off, falling back to a restless sleep. 

Harry let out a heavy breath, tucking his mother’s hand back under the covers. He was so young, and yet he felt as if his body was weighed down like that of an eighty year old’s. He went back to the counter and began gutting and cleaning the hares, making sure to save the hide and fur to clean and dry for use later. He set about cooking the hare meat that he had deboned and roughly cut up, before placing it in a pot over the fire, so that he could start making potted hare. 

After he had finished for the night and had a small cup of herbal tea, from which he dried the leaves and petals himself, he spread out his blanket over the straw stuffed mattress on the ground near the dying embers of the fire. Just like every night, he ran his fingers over the odd marking that was just below his left collar bone and slowly drifted to sleep, praying that he had a dreamless sleep for once

* * *

  
  


There was no calm waking for Harry the next morning. He was asleep, and then he was awake. His hand gripped the knife he kept under the straw mattress before he recognized the sounds as his mother’s tossing and turning. He relaxed his painful grip and heaved himself up with a sigh, rubbing a hand through the birds nest he called his hair. He rolled off the bed and to his feet, snagging some clothes from the corner to get dressed behind the partition before washing his face and scrubbing his teeth with a rag and salt. 

He went about making a simple porridge, using a small fire in the hearth and then helped Lily use the loo and wash up. He got her back to bed and had her sitting up and settled in before he brought over two bowls, sitting on the edge of her bed while they ate together.

“Mum, I’m going out to the forest again today. I want to see if I can find larger game that can hold us a little longer than the hares I caught yesterday. I should be gone for a decent chunk of the morning, but I’ll let the Grangers know so that they can check in on you. Do you need me to bring back anything?” He asked, eating quickly and neatly, wanting to get an early start.

“No dear, I should be fine. Let me know if you find anything interesting out there,” his mother’s gaze was hazy and only semi tracking his movements. He wasn’t sure if she saw him, or his father. Her eyes zeroed in on him immediately and before he could rise, she latched onto his wrist, her eyes stuck somewhere around his throat, “Be careful, Harry. You’ve been marked, and it’s only a matter of time until they come back to collect.”

Harry cleared his throat and twisted gently out of his mother’s grasp, patting her hand between his before standing and cleaning away their breakfast. She sometimes did this, treating his oddly jagged birthmark as something more, and he always humored her. “I will, mum. I always am.”

He cleaned the dishes with the water basin in the corner before he brushed a kiss against Lily’s forehead, “I’ll be back in a while. I left some knitting and crochet supplies on the bedside table for you if you’d like to use them.”

His mother waved him away, once again seeing something only she could in the distant reaches of her mind. He set off with his hunting gear, stopping only to ask the Grangers to check in on his mother, assured that their daughter Hermione would, and then headed out for the woods. He moved through the trees, feeling free and weightless for once. There were no expectations, or duties, out here. Just the wildness of nature.

Harry bent down when he found tracks, studying them for a moment and then dismissing them; they seemed like a dogs’. He kept moving deeper and deeper, finally finding a trail of deer tracks. He wanted to make up for the buck he had missed the other day, and was determined to bring something more substantial home. 

The hair on the back of his neck rose and he felt something’s keen gaze on him. He turned slowly, looking behind, and saw eyes, yellow and luminescent peering intelligently out from the bushes. 

  
  
  


The rising of a deep growl gave him his answer to whether the beast was friendly, and he watched as a black specter of a dog, so black that it seemed to suck the light in from around it, slowly stalk towards him, like a predator trying to calmly get close to its prey before it snapped. Harry knew from the sheer size of the beast that close range fighting was definitely not an option, so in a bid for time and distance, he took off, running blindly deeper into the trees, just hoping he could gain some space to possibly use his bow.

What had started as one soon multiplied, and Harry recognized that the pack was herding him, hemming him in so that his range of escape was smaller and smaller. He tried to find a break in their line as they raced along behind and next to him, but he could find none, and got a few nips to his heels when he tried. It was odd, that they were taking so long to surround him, to attack; it wasn’t as if they were sentient in the way a human hunter was, but it was as if they wanted him somewhere specific. Possibly further into their territory to stop another predator from encroaching?

Harry wasn’t sure if he had ever run faster in his life, his feet flying like they weren’t touching the ground. One small root, one minor bump he didn’t see caught his foot and he found himself sprawled in a clearing, the wild hounds circling and pacing around him, tongues lolling out of their mouths as their panting sounded eerily like soft huffs of laughter. He found his bearings and he rose on his knees and then wobbled to his feet, drawing his knives and keeping his eyes on the circle of animals, wary of attack even though none had come. They were waiting for something.

For him to try to run? For him to attack first?

The black hulk of one hound passed something on the ground, and when Harry’s mind registered the mushroom, he felt his face drain of blood. A circle. Mushrooms. Hellish beasts that seemed otherworldly. 

Oh dear Lord, he had stepped into a faerie circle. 

No sooner did that thought cross his mind when he felt a presence unlike any he had felt before, and the warm caress of elegant and yet strong hands run the length of his shoulders to settle at the base of his throat; a threat. A soft breath brushed the top of his head and then his ear as an ethereal voice spoke behind him, “Lovely of you to join us, my dear. You’ve given a good chase, but you seem to be caught. What ever shall we do with you?”

Harry felt himself be turned, as if no longer inside his own body, and he looked up into a face of terrible, cruel beauty.


	3. Who Are You

_“I am your worst nightmare, and your wildest dreams”_ -Sonia Chloé

* * *

Fingers gripped his shoulders, sharp nails digging into the cloth of his shirt and the skin underneath while incandescent ruby eyes bore into his own. Harry was sure that the figure before him wasn’t human. There was a twist to the creatures lips that spoke of amusement and disdain, while sharp white teeth glinted in the small streams of sunlight. The hands that gripped his shoulders ghosted up his neck until they framed his face, and cold metal claws that adorned the creature’s fingers dug gently into his skin. Thumbs brushed across his lashes, sharp points caressing the thin skin of his upper lids, and Harry suddenly realized that his eyes had closed at some point, though when that had happened, he wasn’t quite sure. Opening his eyes took extreme strength, as if they were weighed down. He looked up into the face of the man-creature-thing and found interest swimming in the depths of that piercing gaze. Harry shuddered slightly; interest was bad. Interest equaled attention, which spelled out disaster for his own future. Opening his mouth was a trial, but he stubbornly pushed through the sisyphean task.

“Who-....? What-...?” his tongue was thick and his words slightly slurred. The other’s lips twitched in amusement while it’s clawed thumb brushed along his lower lip. The metal tip pressed into his skin, just shy of drawing blood.

“You wish to know who and what I am, little one?” The creature did not wait for a response, “Dangerous questions, sweetling, but I suppose I can indulge you. You can most likely assume _what_ I am based off of what you tumbled your way in to. _Who_ I am, well...names hold power, but you may refer to me as my subjects do. ‘My Lord’ shall suffice, but for official purposes, I am the Goblin King,” his lips spread in a self-satisfied manner, revealing the rest of his wickedly sharp teeth that Harry had only caught glimpses of until now, “The more important question, though, is what is your name, little one?”

Harry felt his mouth opening to answer but his brain ground to a halt. There was something tickling at the back of his mind; why was he hesitating? It should have been so easy to say his name, and yet a subconscious fear held his tongue. A sharp pin prick on his lip drew his attention back to irritated eyes. A bead of blood welled on his bottom lip and cut a path down his chin; with his eyes glowing like embers, the Goblin King followed its trail before swiping it away with a thumb. He stuck the appendage into his mouth and seemed to savor the taste, his eyes turning the color of a rich red wine. He pulled his thumb from his mouth with an obscene pop and brushed it along Harry’s lip once more.

“All I ask for is a name. It’s a fair trade, as I have given you one of my own, no?” his voice was a sweet croon, oh so tempting and oh so dangerous.

Harry felt as if he were moving against a rapid current, but his mind was slowly coming back to him after the small sharp pain. He knew if he gave his name he was utterly doomed. He was also done for if he lied; his mother would tell him tales when he was young, and she was of sound mind, about how the Fair Folk could always tell a lie, and how to lie to one would lead to great misfortune. But what could he do?

“...a deal…” two words, grit out against the compulsion he could now feel weaving its way around his bones that urged him to give his name. Scarlet eyes narrowed at him, searching his face before the Goblin King smiled menacingly, like he was amused while watching a pet perform a parlor trick.

“You wish to strike a deal? Very clever, little one. Alright, name your terms,” the thumb moved from his mouth and Harry found it slightly easier to speak. He took a deep breath that felt like ambrosia and realized he hadn’t been breathing properly this whole time; a product of his own fear or something more?

“A test. If I pass, you let me go free,” Harry spoke, warily eyeing the male before him who still had such a firm grasp on his face. The Goblin King was quick to interject.

“And if you lose?” His body was preternaturally still.

“My name.”

_“No.”_

The word was a hiss of anger, barely audible and terrifying. Harry tried to jerk back from the ugly, twisted sneer that covered the Goblin King’s face, but the slender fingers had dug into his skin, a moment away from gouging him. “If you wish to bargain for your freedom, you must be willing to lose something equally as important. Your soul, perhaps?” The Goblin King’s smile was a nasty facsimile. Harry recoiled as far as the other would let him _(hint:_ it wasn’t far).

“No, not my soul. A teind. Seven years in your realm. I will not try to escape during that time as long as my mother is well looked after.” Harry set his jaw, staring unflinchingly up at his captor, unwilling to back down. Seven years would be nothing compared to the possibility of eternity. A deal just sweet enough to entice. The Goblin King was silent for a while before he nodded.

“I accept your terms. As the challenged party, I shall decide your test,” as he spoke, the world around them shivered and blurred. The Goblin King finally released his face, only to spin Harry by his shoulders.

Harry found himself facing a sprawling monstrosity of a labyrinth that held a dark obsidian castle in the far distance in what Harry assumes was the center of the maze.

“This, my dear, is the Underground. My Kingdom. My terms are thus: you have thirteen hours to reach the heart of my labyrinth. If you do not, you will remain in this world for seven years with me. I will make sure your mother is cared for in your absence; I would rather not give you a reason to attempt escaping. If you manage to pass this test, I will let you go free, provided that you follow the rules that govern this kingdom. I am sure you are aware of them, seeing as you have been using them to suit your own needs thus far,” metal claws dug sharply into his shoulders, “Your thirteen hours start now.” 

With those words, the Goblin King released Harry fully and disappeared in a swirl of green robes that were so dark they were almost black. The gold embellishments winked out of sight, taunting him as a high, cold laugh played faintly on the wind. 

Harry let out a huff of breath, hands on his hips and head tilted back to the burning sun. The shit he got himself in to, honestly. He started down the grassy knoll to the looming dark gates of the labyrinth, shoulders back and chin high, daring the maze to try something with him.


	4. Hitting a Wall

_"Life is to be lived, not controlled; and humanity is won by continuing to play in face of certain defeat." -_ Invisible Man _by_ **Ralph** **Ellison**

* * *

  
Harry had been in this godforsaken labyrinth for close to an hour now and he still hadn’t made it past the first layer of the towering sandstone walls. To say that he was frustrated was an understatement. Somewhere after what he thought was twenty minutes, he had tried to climb the wall, if only to get a glance across the maze, but the stone had become unbearably slick and slanted so that he ended up dumped on his ass before he could even reach the top. He was sure the Goblin King was getting a good laugh out of this, that is if the bastard even could laugh.

Harry cursed under his breath as he stopped on the never ending path. He took a moment to lean against one of the walls. He needed to regroup and forge a new plan, because clearly this one wasn’t working. Before he could think too hard though, he felt something brush against his hand, causing him to jump away from the wall.

“Sorry! Didn’t mean to scare ya!” a small squeaky voice called out. Harry’s head whipped around to look at where he had once been, only to find an inch long brilliant sapphire insect with wings atopo its’ head. Its’ eyes were amusingly large, and its front arms were like little twigs. The creature was rubbing the two limbs together not unlike a human wringing their hands apologetically. Harry felt bemused, and pointed a hesitant finger at his own face.

“I’m sorry…..but are you speaking to me?” he asked, sure that he had gone mad and was now hallucinating on the ground somewhere in the labyrinth with the Goblin King standing over him and laughing.

“Well I’m definitely not talking to the snapdragon ivy to your left!” At this, Harry jerked away from the vines that had been silently creeping closer to him. They retreated under his attention with a rustling noise that Harry hesitated to classify as a giggle. 

“Right lot ‘o gossips, they are!” the insect continued, “But where are my manners? William B. Wigg at your service. Now, we don’t get too many visitors around here, so who might you be?”

Harry goggled at the bug -sorry,  _ William-  _ for a moment before giving a slow shake of his head. He questioned whether to give his name to a creature in  _ his _ domain, but William seemed harmless enough for now. Just to be safe though, he only gave the abbreviated version of his first name. “I’m Harry. Just Harry.”

“Well, ‘Just Harry’,” William continued on brightly (or so Harry thought, but William was a bug,  **_so_ ** ), “would you care to join myself and the missus for a cuppa? I’m sure she’d love to meet ya!” Williams wings gave a small shiver of excitement.

Harry froze slightly; he definitely didn’t have the time, but was it safe to refuse this offer? He had no idea what the labyrinth’s creatures were capable of, and better yet, he had absolutely no desire to consume something from this world. It’d be a crying shame for him to make it all the way through just to be held captive by a silly rule such as that.

“I, ah, I appreciate the invite, William, but I’m afraid I have to decline for now. I have a meeting with the King and it would be rude of me to be late,” Harry hedged.

William buzzed with delight at the mention of his king, “Of course! Of course! Why didn’t you say so? Although It’s odd that you’ve walked this far around the perimeter instead of in.”

Harry eyed William; was the creature….. _ joking? _ “I’ve been trying to find a way in but the path has only led me straight so far.”

William made an odd sort of clicking noise similar to laughter, “Honestly, human! There are openings everywhere. Why, there’s one right across from us!”

Harry gave the solid wall, with it’s snapdragon ivy, a dubious look before turning back to William, “No. There’s not. I was just leaning on that wall not even a minute ago. It’s solid.”

William had the audacity to blow a raspberry at him, “Just because you could lean against it before doesn’t mean you can  _ now. _ And here I thought you were sharp!” to add salt to the cut, William ‘tsked’ at him like a disapproving parent.

He let out a deep, disappointed sigh; it was too much to ask for sane creatures in this labyrinth, he supposed. Just to prove his point to William, he leaned back against the wall, but where he had once found solid support, he now found only empty air. Only his quick reflexes saved him from landing on his ass, and instead he stumbled through the opening into a brand new wall further in. He threw William a look of disbelief, “How….?”

William clicked at him disappointedly again while shaking his head, “Humans, all the same. Can’t tell up from down, left from right, and a wall from an entrance.” 

Harry let out a huff of self-deprecating laughter. Of course it wouldn’t be easy to get through a Fae king’s maze, but he didn’t think it would be  _ this _ bloody frustrating.

“Well, thank you William. Give your wife my best,” Harry called out before taking the path to the left, not wanting to waste anymore time. He didn’t hear the creature’s words called out after him. Shame.

“Wait! Don’t go that way!” William called, huffing to himself and brushing down his ruffled wings, “Gosh, he shouldn’t’a gone that way! Going right would have led him straight to the castle,” William grumbled under his breath and headed back inside to tell the missus about the odd human boy visiting their king.


End file.
